Up till now I have only had 1 child homeschooling (we have three total but the other two are only 1 and 3 years old.). I think schooling one is very easy and found she learned so fast since it was total one on one.

Thanks for responding. I am happy that you are getting on with your little one. All the best to you!

I can see by the lack of response that most or maybe even 90% of people here have two or more children. I find this a bit hard to relate to as I really would like to find out the experiences of those who only have one child. Do people opt for homeschool because they have large families? Maybe it is more cost effective. Maybe HSers are more prone to having more children. Who knows.

I have only one child and it looks as if she will be the only one. She is six years old and very, very friendly. I know of other homeschoolers with just one child also. I would say that we all feel it is more of a challenge in ways that differ from family with multiple siblings. I mean, when we are done with lessons and my daughter goes off to play, it is usually by herself--although I must say she has a diverse and vivid imagination. We have a houseful of friends, animals, and, of course, her own four children "a boy, boy, and a girl, girl." It gets a bit crowded.

The one challenge for both of us is that she tends to see me at times as her pal which lends to her getting a bit bossy and argumentative. My husband is the one who steps in to clearly define the lines--perhaps for both of us. I want us to be close, but she does need to respect me as her mother. Part of this happened because she had a very close friend, also an only child being homeschooled, for about a year and a half that she played with usually one afternoon a week at the park or my home, but that ended and my daughter really missed her. I was torn for her and I think I may have tried to fill in for her friend, so we both contributed to the problem.

I am not sure what you mean by modifying group activities...? I think the best thing for group activities is to join a group or get together with other homeschoolers. Even when I was not in a group, my daughter when to a Homeschool Skate and a local park chess club and just being at a park in the afternoon gave us opportunity to meet other homeschoolers. Are you asking about a curriculum design for a group or a club-like activities?

I also was in an inclusive homeschool group that just started in January, but it really was a co-op requiring all members to teach and that just was not for me at this time. I am not interested in classes for my daughter at this age, nor did I feel comfortable with some the parents who would be teaching--perhaps the group was just a bit too inclusive for my tastes. We will still see some of the children from it at the chess club once a month with playtime afterward.

This month, I am joining a large Christian homeschool group (150 families) based in a neighboring county. They have a co-op, but only for older children, which is like my own philosophy and it is not required to participate or teach unless your child is enrolled in it. They have Keepers at Home, like a Christian girls scouts, which is a program I thought my daughter and I would like to do together. I was a bit intimidated by the idea of such a large group, but because of their size they have wonderful choices for activities and field trips. They even have a weekly workout day at a nearby Gold's gym with daycare for the younger ones and a workout program for the older children!

Thanks for the input Theo - unfortunately some of us have not been blessed with more than one but it really was an observation.

SML - I was thinking along the same lines. I have not pulled my son out of school yet as I am still working partime and to school system here is not "terrible". I just need time to think and plan carefully. He is 7, we tried to have a little "HS" this summer and some of those same issues came up. Mommy as pal rather than teacher.

We do not have a HS association and the activities are limited interms of what children can do outside of the school setting. I will have to do quite a few field trips to make up for that.

Anyway would love to chat but Hurricane Dean is on my heels and I need to bring in my orchids. Please say some prayers for Jamaica and Cayman Islands. God willing we will continue this after the storm!

Pancharnic, there are definitely challenges of a different nature for those of us with only one child in comparison with those with multiple children and one most definitely is--dare I say it?--socialization, the same factor that most homeschooling parents find is a myth or at least an unsupported argument. I agree that generally it is not a concern for homeschooling families, but there are always exceptions. For those of us with only one child and those in remote areas, the socialization factor carries more concern and importance--at least, it does for me and most of the other only-one-child families I know personally.

In my area, there are not really many homeschool groups, although their are quite a large number of homeschoolers. Most families here are independent, usually having a family or two with which they do things together informally like picnic and play date at a park or each other's homes. I was doing myself for a year and it worked out well, but it had to end. It is more difficult to meet other homeschoolers outside of a group, but I used to meet quite a few just going to the park or on a field trip/activity when the other children were in school.

hello pancharnic,
Yes, it is MUCH different with one child! Our other two are 25 and 24 so she is pretty much by herself here. And it does seem to change the dynamic of the relationship since we do spend so much time together. I put her back in public school when our relationship was suffering badly and feel it was much needed for me as well. She is delayed in all aspects but very social so it is difficult with no one around to play with. She will be going part time to school this year and is excited about both! Pretty much the children around here are much younger and the homeschool family down the street with 3 girls close to her age don't have outside friends. I feel bad for her. Part of the issue are her delays so it is difficult to find friends to accept her, even at church and the homeschool group I was in. Kids are pretty much the same it seems in that aspect.So the socialization issue, although valid is much easier with siblings in the home.
We are looking forward to this coming year.
Blessings to you both

Well Dean is gone and I think that it was a very "hands on" experience for my son. It was scary but he had the first hand experience of the beauty and the terror of nature!! I thank God that we were safe and dry and only lost our banana trees.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I really needed to hear from those who have tried with only one child. I do have until January to make up my mind and I do know that there are huge issues with socialisation and such delights. I am presently looking at my options in terms of scouts and other activities. My son wants to be home schooled and I would like to be prepared. I do find him very clingy so that is one of my concerns. Anyway I will keep you posted.